The Legend of Zelda: The Lost World
by TheHylianReader
Summary: Post TP After returning home to his hero's welcome, Link finds himself under a much more powerful curse than before. He banishes himself to a world where he hopes to disappear, but Princess Zelda is determined to save him from himself. But can she do it?
1. In Which Zelda Receives a Letter and

_AU/ Hello and welcome to my first fanfic posted here on . I have posted this on another website under a different name; therefore, if this seems familiar, that is why. _

_Please note that this story is a collection of sorts of my favorite books, movies, and things all put into this story. There will be rather obvious references to these things, but at the same time, some will be harder to catch._

**_Universal Disclaimer: I own nothing in this except my own original characters. A more detailed disclaimer is found in my profile. UD will now appear before every chapter referring to this disclaimer.  
_**

The Legend of Zelda: The Lost World

Chapter I In Which Zelda Receives a Letter and a Visitor

Princess Zelda, daughter of King Matthias Leone Hyrule, was home at last. True, she had been a prisoner in a tower, but that was never home. That was a necessary sacrifice for the good of her people. For their safety. Through her secret connections with another princess, she was able to find someone who would help her purge her nation of evil. Though most of the real story was still clouded in mystery, her acts of bravery were not ignored.

"To Princess Zelda, My Daughter,

I have heard of the terrible attack on our kingdom while I was here in Tar Alem. I have to say that I am quite proud of you, my flower, in the way you handled things. However, I do object to your putting yourself in danger; for you know how the thought of losing you makes me have a heart-attack. But, your part in rescuing the kingdom cannot be denied.

I also have heard word of this hero you worked with. I believe his name was Link, correct? We simply must have him over to the castle some time; it is not all that often such a valiant young man rises from nowhere and--Oh, dear, I seem to be preaching. Well, you and I will have plenty of time to talk about all this for I am coming home as soon as possible.

Your Father."

As Zelda looked over the letter again in her father's great study, she couldn't help but smile. True, at times-- most of the time, actually, he was overprotective, stubborn, hotheaded, and even a little foolish when it came to dealing with her; but he was only trying to do right by her in any way he could. She knew that he loved her more than his royal title, as she was the only family he had anymore and vice versa.

She looked around herself for a moment, peering out the rather impromptu "skylight" that was added to her father's study. Ganondorf's brief stay in Hyrule Castle had left two towers collapsed, three walls with holes in them, at least eight rooms had their entire contents thrown about everywhere, and several uncounted rooms were coated in a lovely char.

_Perfect..._ thought Zelda. Her father would most likely tirade about this for some time…

A knock on the ebony door followed by a muffled, "Your Highness," brought Zelda away from her thoughts.

"You may enter," she said, hiding her annoyance. Ever since she returned, she had found that she had been treated as if she were glass-- something she barely tolerated. However, she _had_ to. She had long ago been taught to keep her real emotions inward. She was thankful that this particular time, the servant was quick to his point without burbling.

"Your Majesty, I believe Master Link has arrived as you requested," said he.

Zelda was pleased to hear that he was there. "Thank you. Please, send him in here."

"Also, your Highness, another letter arrived from the King. It states that he has arrived at the western border of the kingdom and should return to the castle by tomorrow eve."

That Zelda did not expect. Her father was at least two kingdoms away with a week of travel to cross each. He must not have wanted to wait to return home. "Was there any more in the letter?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Highness. It was a short letter. I will send for Master Link at once, if it pleases your Highness." With a bow, the servant left, leaving Zelda to think. The very reason she had invited Link to the castle that day was to present him with a medal of honor given to those who have earned the respect of the Royal family through some brave act; and what act was more brave than saving the world?

Another knock. "Your--"

"Enter." she said quickly. The door was opened once more to reveal Link. He was again dressed in his Hero's Tunic, but with a dark green riding cape that wrapped around his shoulders and was pinned with a gold Triforce at his right shoulder. The only other difference was that his sword sheath was strapped to his belt, but there was nothing else new about his appearance. He bowed respectfully but said nothing; as Zelda expected. With only a nod, she bade the servant to close the door and leave them.

"Princess," said Link as he rose, "you wished to see me?"

"Indeed I did," said she, taking the box that contained his medal, "I wish to present you with this Medal of Honor, for only one of the Royal Family may give this away to one who truly has shown true fortitude in the face of ultimate crisis. I give this to you as well as my and my family's eternal thanks."

Zelda opened the box to expose the medal. The whole thing was about the length of one's hand: the ribbon would be the length of the fingers while the actual medal would be from the top to the bottom of the palm. The ribbon was actually three ribbons--one red, one blue, and one green-- sewn perfectly together. The medal was a very realistic gold phoenix with its wings close to its side and three gems--a ruby, a sapphire, and an emerald-- arranged in the pattern of the Triforce in the body of the bird. It was one of the most prized awards in Hyrule…

She removed it from the box and pinned it to Link's left shoulder with little more ceremony. Truly, neither she nor Link wanted to draw this out more than it had to. Zelda was never much for so much pomp even though she was born into that world, and Link was too humble to really be comfortable in a real ceremony having to do with him. He found his new found fame to be slightly out of place with him, and honestly wished he could disappear back to his normal life among his friends home in Ordon. However, he knew that wasn't likely to happen so he decided to brave this world as well.

When Zelda was finished fastening the award to Link, she backed away and curtsied politely, which was hard to do now that she was forced back into wearing heeled shoes. When she looked up again, Link was taking his sword slowly out of his sheath and presented the hilt to Zelda.

"I was supposed to bring this to you for some time," he explained, "A gift from Ordon to the Royal Family, crafted by our finest swords-smith."

Zelda took hold of the leather-bound hilt and inspected the sword. She had to admit it was a beautifully made weapon, though it paled in comparison with the Master Sword she had seen Link wield before. Link held the sheath and replaced the sword once Zelda was finished looking at it. Her father would be please to know that the people of Ordon sent them such a kind offering.

"Thank you, Link. I accept this gift on behalf of my father. Now perhaps we might speak freely with this exchange over?" she asked, waving her hand to two armchairs in one corner of the room. Link said nothing in return but nodded his head respectfully, following her over there.

Once they were seated, Zelda asked if Link would be returning to Ordon after he left the castle today.

"I don't think so," he said, looking at the floor in thought, "I saw some thick storm clouds on my way here. I believe we are in for some foul weather."

"I didn't see them yet, I've been far too busy," Zelda answered, "but my father requested he meet you. It just makes sense that you stay for he is to return some time tomorrow."

At the mention of her father, Link looked up. Obviously, he was not quite sure he really knew what he was getting himself into. Therefore, Zelda quickly said, "My father is not an unkind man, Link. He spoke quite highly of you in his letter to me. I'm sure he has no reason to believe otherwise."

"There is one…" Link mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I was a beast, Princess. Even my friends didn't realize it was me…" Now Zelda understood.

"You never told anyone about your 'other form'?"

"No, and I don't intend to," he replied, somewhat cold in his tone.

"Consider your secret safe with me," Zelda said in a comforting tone, "If it is your desire that this remains a secret, I shall keep it with me to my grave."

Link looked much more relaxed and actually smiled for the first time since he came to the castle that day. "Thank you, Princess."

* * *

Link spent the night at the castle in one of the spare rooms that wasn't destroyed, but he and Zelda didn't spend much more time together. Zelda couldn't if she wanted to because her staff kept her busy. Everyone in the castle wished to make the palace respectable enough for their ruler's return and Zelda was the supervisor by default. Therefore, all her time was spent going through what the servants had to do. By late afternoon, Zelda was nearly drained of energy and patience; but she hid the latter quite well. However, sitting on her father's throne listening to the quite voices of the different servants before her nearly lulled her to sleep.

"……..color of the table linens should be?" said a maid standing before her with two table cloths, one red one white, in either of her hands.

Zelda stirred only a little bit after realizing she nearly fell asleep. She was sitting in a rather plain blue dress to the horror of her lady in waiting. Said woman was a no-nonsense, up-tight old shrew named Lady Gray. Lady Gray had been Zelda's lady in waiting since the young Princess was a child. Now that she was a young lady, Lady Gray had been her teacher in, as she said, "everything a princess ought to know."

Lady Gray herself was not a remarkable lady to look at. Thin as a stick with equally thin fingers on thin arms with thin legs holding the whole of her upright, she made saplings look strong. Her face was sharp and angular with high cheekbones and a forward brow that always made her look unpleasant. Her dark gray eyes sat behind a pair of round little spectacles that sat on the bridge of her big sharp nose. Her dark brown hair, that was striped with gray, was always wrapped in a neat little bun sitting on the back of her little head with not a stray out of place. She was one of the few people that Zelda feared.

Zelda straightened up in her seat and addressed the maid in front of her. "Excuse me, could you say that again a little louder? I didn't hear you the first time," she lied.

"Yes, your Highness. I asked what color of table linens shall we use for his Majesty's arrival?"

"The white one," said Zelda quickly, hiding her exhaustion, "the red is normally used for royal guests."

"Actually, your Grace," said Lady Gray, "His Royal Highness your father is bringing their Highnesses of Tar Alem to join us for some time. Therefore the red is the best choice, but only in my humble opinion, your Grace."

"Very well then," Zelda said. She inwardly was wincing. Although she was _friends_ with Princess Lalana of Tar Alem, her elder brother Prince Uncouthma was a burly, tough-headed huntsman with his sights rather obviously set on Zelda. He was notorious for his temper and his womanizing ways.

Hylians differed from Tar Alemites in their entire social lives. The Hylians were more sophisticated in their dealings with others, especially with women, due to their religious upbringings and loyalty to the goddesses. Hylian ladies were given great respect by others and were almost considered equals with men when it came to the political and family orders: one of the main reasons Zelda was allowed to be her father's regent in his absence.

Tar Alemites were on the opposite end of the scale. The men were the leaders in all aspects of life while the ladies merely followed their husbands or fathers without question. However, their unswerving loyalty to their men was not always a good thing; especially when the man was the normal Tar Alemite: brutish and dogged. Prince Uncouthma was the perfect example, as he expected Zelda to swoon over him constantly when she would rather be dragged behind a horse through the rockiest valley she could find.

The blare of trumpets interrupted Zelda's inward displeasure for she knew her father was back and it was expected that she greet him in the courtyard. A royal duty she had no complaint for. She walked as quickly as she could, which was not very fast in her terribly high heeled shoes, to the courtyard, ignoring the cries of Lady Gray to go slower with more grace. She had just made it out the palace's main door when her father came trotting in on his brightly bannered horse.

Her father was a tall man, about six and a half feet, with pale blonde hair, neatly trimmed beard, and thin mustache. His eyes were a blue likening to the sky instead of Link's icy blue, and his face had an identical construction to Zelda's. He wore a thick, dusty riding cloak over his silver tunic that was lined with gold thread at the edges and dark leather riding breeches that were tucked into his fine brown boots. His hands were in a pair of embroidered riding gloves, but were normally firm and strong, toughened from his swordsmanship as a young Prince of Hyrule.

King Matthias leapt from his steed once he was close enough and ran to his daughter. Zelda found herself lifted from the ground, spinning in the air with her father's arms wrapped around her. Though it was very rare her father would show this much affection for his daughter with others present, as it was not very proper, Zelda welcomed the surprise happily and hugged her father tightly.

When King Matthias put his daughter back on the ground, he kissed the top of her head and said with a sigh, "Oh, my flower, you are safe…How are you, my dear?"

"Better now that you're home, Father," she said, her voice muffled as her face was pressed to her father's chest by his arms.

"I thought you were dead when I stopped receiving news about your well being. It was said that you disappeared…"

Zelda knew what he was talking about. When she gave her life force to help Midna, her body was most likely discovered after it reappeared when Midna was fully well. Though she never died, the guard who kept watch on her tower must have leaked a false alarm.

King Matthias let go of Zelda and took a look at her, as he loved to do because she reminded him so much of his dear queen. "Now, where is that Hero I have been hearing so much of, hm?" he said with a grin, "I want to meet this young man in person straight away!"

* * *

In the throne room, Hyrule's King once more held the reins and was in his proper place with Zelda occupying a smaller throne on his right. She knew that Link was near-by but followed her father up to the throne room to wait as two servants began to look for him when the King came back. She learned from her father that the Tar Alem Royal Family was a day behind them as Matthias was too impatient to get home to travel at their leisured pace. Therefore, Zelda was safe for at least a few more days.

After a minute or two, Link was announced and led into the room by one of the King's heralds. The young man was led right up to the King's throne where he did a very deep bow. Only Zelda noticed that he was wearing the exact same thing he wore yesterday with the addition of his medal.

"Welcome, Master Link," said King Matthias happily, "I don't think I can ever fully thank you for what you have done. I'd say I owe you the life of everyone in the kingdom, even!"

"Your Highness's thanks is more than enough for me, Sire," said Link, still bowed low.

"You may stand, my son, let me see your face," laughed the King. Zelda could not help but smile at both Link's demure nature and her father's unusually pleasant one. Link stood and removed his hat before the King, standing firmly but humbly in his spot.

"Ah, I see my daughter beat me in giving you one of our greatest honors, now. Well then, Link, I suppose we'll have to do this to old fashioned way and have a ball in your honor then, now wont we?"

Zelda saw Link swallow a lump in his throat.

"I…would be honored, your Highness, but that's really too mu--"

"Nonsense!" King Matthias cried, "You save my daughter and my kingdom and a simple ball is too much thanks? It's too little if you ask me! It's only a start, after all, but I intend to thank you for this for a long time. Zelda," he said turning to his daughter.

"Yes, father?"

"I am putting you in charge of the planning for Master Link's ball. Hyrule needs a reason to celebrate now that that _Ganondorf_ is dead," he said, hissing the dreaded name with utter hate in his voice. He hated anyone who dare mean harm on his precious daughter…

Zelda, who hoped to return to her normal duties for a few days, was surprised at her father's order. However, she enjoyed planning balls as it was easy enough.

* * *

After four days of planning and supervising and answering millions of questions, Zelda rested in her private suite before preparing to go to bed for the evening. Thankfully, her father had allowed her perfect privacy after dark. No maids, no ministers, no courtiers-- no one was allowed uninvited into her sanctuary. Her suite was only three rooms, her sitting room, her bedroom with a lovely balcony, and her bathroom. Her sitting room had three chairs that were covered in a purple velvet (which happened to be the dominating color in her chambers) that sat around a table with a chess pattern in the center and the chess pieces under the table in a box and a divan sofa that sat parallel to her bay window.

Her bedroom was not a very large space, but Zelda liked it that way. Her four posted bed had thick purple curtains she could draw to keep heat in or pull back to let it flow, depending on the time of year it was. As it was late spring, the curtains were held to the posts with gold colored ropes. On her bed was down blanket that didn't overheat during the night but was also soft to sit on during the day. Across from her bed was a fireplace that was beautifully molded into the wall with a gilded grid to keep things out. The fire was generally always lit at night because of how cool it could get at night, but tonight was an exception. Right of the fireplace was one of Zelda's large wardrobes. She had two, one on either side of her vanity table, for her winter and summer clothes. However, Zelda kept her best clothes, the plain dresses she loved because her mother wore them, in a trunk used for the most part as a side table at her bed. Zelda's vanity was the thing that got the least amount of use, mostly because Zelda didn't like the idea of spending so much time looking in a mirror. Unless it was for a special occasion, she really didn't use it. On the far wall was her balcony window which was separated from the outside elements by a pair of glass doors, that Zelda had closed for the evening, and another set of purple curtains, that were not closed.

Zelda was, that night, sitting on her bed working an old book she had retrieved from the library that afternoon that was entitled _Legends of the Ancient World_. She wanted to finish the first chapter of the book before she changed into her nightclothes and went to sleep. She was interrupted when she heard a knock. By habit, she was about to say "Enter," but she listened instead. The knock was not coming from the door, but from the balcony window; and it was actually a little tapping noise that she nearly missed. Zelda put the book down and cautiously tip-toed over to the window.

Outside, silhouetted but the light of the stars, was a hunched over figure in a black cloak and hood. Zelda was more concerned about the pair of blue eyes she saw glowing in the dark.

"Link?"

* * *

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	2. In Which Zelda Learns a Grave Secret

_AN/ Hello again. Thank you very much to the people who reviewed my opening chapter; feedback makes me work harder. I apologize for the wait, for my computer acted up and I am still figuring out how posting here works. I'm used to a much simpler process. That and much more kept me unable to enlighten you to more of the story. But fear not: I do not give up easily._

**Universal Disclaimer applies.  
**

* * *

Chapter Two In Which Zelda Learns A Grave Secret and is Attacked

There was no mistake.

Those icy blue eyes could only belong to the Hero of Light and Shadow himself, but why he was sneaking onto Zelda's private balcony in the dark of the night was almost unnerving to think about. But, she was too curious about his reason for being here for her to stand there with a stupid look on her face and only guess.

She threw open the doors, letting him slink inside while she checked to see if anyone saw his entrance. Taking a hasty glance around, she saw no one and dashed back inside, locked the window shut, and pulled the curtains so no guard would see him. Zelda turned back around towards Link to see that he was standing hunched over in the darkest corner of her room, his black cloak giving him an eerie appearance…

"What in Din's name are you doing here?" she whispered, afraid of anyone hearing her; and after a second of thinking, she looked back at the window and asked, in a normal volume, "How did you get up here?"

"The stones of the castle," he said, his voice abnormally deeper than she knew it to be, "are placed in such a way that I could spider walk up between two columns."

Zelda had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach…something was not right and knew Link would not waste time, or his life, climbing up to her chambers like a thief or assassin unless something was _very_ wrong.

When Zelda took a step closer to him, she noticed that he hunched back into the corner even more and held up his hands before him, as if he was hiding his face from her.

"Link, what's wrong?"

Link put his hands down and looked at Zelda; the latter noticing how much more ferocious his hands looked…

"Zelda, what I must show you must _never_ leave this room," he said, growling on the word "never." Zelda nodded.

Link slowly removed his hood, stood upright, and stepped into the light, causing Zelda's blood to freeze within her veins. Link's face once more was transformed into a wolf's fright-inducing visage with the rest of his body at a cross between man and beast. The first thing she noticed about him was that he was clothed in a torn white shirt that was to small to encircle his massive new frame and black breeches that were ruined at the bottoms because of the odd configuration of his lupine legs. He wore no boots, as she was sure they would not do much good, and his cloak was actually a very large tarp he hastily pinned together for his disguise. His physical features were grossly disfigured, though she would never admit it. His hands were still human like in the fact that they had thumbs, but were still covered in his black fur and tipped with razor sharp claws. His feet, or hind legs, were very large and tipped with claws that were not razor sharp but were roughened from running over the stone roads of Castle Town. His tail was long and bushy, curling around his legs as he stood before the Princess.

"Wha--How--" she tried to start, "What happened? I thought Midna took the Shadow Stone or whatever it was with her."

"That's what I thought," Link said, unpinning his cloak to let Zelda examine him.

"When did this start?" She said, looking closely at his figure.

"The night after the audience with your father," he explained, a growl still present in his voice, "I could not sleep that night because I felt burning pains throughout my body, different from what I felt in the Twilight…I went outside for some air, thinking it would help me. I walked through Faron close to the Forest Temple when the pain became too much. I don't remember much then, but I woke up like….like this, or partly like this."

"Partly?"

"I looked more like a werewolf than I do now, if that's possible. But the thing that scared me is that next to me was a felled tree--completely uprooted-- with claw marks all over it…Princess, I did that…" Link looked down, as if ashamed of himself. Zelda gently touched his hand and said, "Go on."

Link sighed. "I transformed back to my normal self after sometime in the Sacred Spring, as I thought the water would help one way or another. The villagers soon saw the uprooted tree and thought another monster invaded our woods."

_And they were right_ were Link's unspoken words, but Zelda could feel them.

"How often has it happened since?" she said, trying to change the subject.

"Every night, and it's gotten worse every time until tonight, when I felt the pains and urges when I was with my friends this evening. I locked myself in my basement, but they almost came in and saw me. I was able to hold out long enough so they left, but I'm afraid they'll find out…But the reason I came here was because I need your help to stop this…because…" Link's voice grew quieter as he grabbed at his face with his hands, gritting his fangs and shaking violently in place. Zelda backed away until he stopped a moment later.

"That…." he growled, "Every time I transform, I hear…a voice…a woman's voice, chanting some unholy spell and laughing at me all at the same time…"

"I do know a good deal about magic," Zelda said, "If you came here seeking help, then you found it. The Royal Library has many books on magic spells. I will try to find anything about curses similar to yours, since you hear voices in your head. Oh, do you recognize the voice?"

"Not in the least," Link admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

"Bother, I might have helped if we knew who was doing this to you…" Zelda's brow furrowed in thought, "I'll just have to start reading then. I'll send for you if I find something."

"Thank you, Princess, a hundred times." Link said quickly, sounding very much relieved.

"You might want to get back before someone sees you," she said, pushing back the curtains and unlocking the window. By the time she was finished, Link had put his disguise back on and had leapt over her and onto her balcony. He turned to the right towards the columns he had mentioned and positioned himself between them. Zelda looked around and saw there were no guards around, and, after making a mental note to correct the patrol routes, nodded to Link that the coast was clear. He nodded back and, faster than she could see, slipped down the two stone columns and into the darkness of the gardens and away into the night.

_Thank the goddesses he is a friend_ Zelda thought. She closed the window again for the night and walked over to her vanity. On it was a little gold pocket watch her father gave her for her last birthday. The outside was brilliantly molded into the image of a blooming rose, and inside was inscribed, "My rose," her father's favorite pet-name for her. Looking at the watch, Zelda saw she had enough time to run to the library and grab two or three books. She would not be sleeping much that night….

Zelda was a terrific liar.

Unbeknownst to her father or her ladies-in-waiting or even Lady Gray, she had spent the entire night reading through ancient spells and curses until just before dawn when she hid the books, quick changed into her nightdress, and pretend to be fast asleep. Her night was anything but productive. Aside from learning miscellaneous things such as how to turn a prince into a frog, turning vegetables into various vehicles, how to spin straw to gold, and how to levitate, she found nothing about turning a man into a wolf. She made a note to herself to grab more books after breakfast with her father.

It was in one of the great hallways of Hyrule Castle that Zelda was traveling through to join her father when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and a pair of lips planted a noisy kiss on her cheek. Zelda, who was never one for a sneak attack, immediately struggled to free herself. Her worst fears were confirmed as she heard the voice of her attacker.

"Aw, come on Zellie." Only one man in the world had the gall to call her that…

"Uncouthma, would you be so kind as to let me go?" Zelda said, trying to be as polite as she could while holding back the venom that was threatening to come from her voice.

Uncouthma laughed his haughty laugh and let Zelda go just as she was trying to push one of his arms away from her, causing her to land a little of balance.

Prince Uncouthma Vasil Tar Alem was a tall man, just about Link's height, with strong but round face, a very muscular build, and an ego that could hold the weight of his head. He was undeniably a handsome man, with his short curly black hair framing his face that could start a thousand romances alone, with his rounded features, such as his nose, and his massive chin. His dark brown eyes reflected the color of chocolate, but were hardly sweet in Zelda's opinion. His arms were strong enough to choke a bear while his legs were strong enough to lift it up, and his chest was hard as a rock. Altogether the ideal princely look.

His clothing was more a collection of his hunting trophies than Zelda was comfortable with. He always had a fur about him one way or another, and today's unlucky display was a wolf skin coat, even though it was mid spring, with the poor thing's tail as part of his hat…Zelda felt her stomach turn…

When Zelda recovered her balance from her sudden release, she dusted off her pale blue dress and continued on her way, hoping to find her father soon because Uncouthma only acted like he did when he and Zelda were alone. Unfortunately, he followed her, using the same cooing tone that she hated…

"Aw, Zellie, not even a hello for your favorite prince?"

"I have no favorite prince, Uncouthma," Zelda said calmly, fighting every urge in her body to bite his head of with her wits. "I am not as shallow as other princesses may be and my heart belongs to no man."

"Well, go 'head and think that way, my dear Zellie. I know you'll come around soon. They always do." Uncouthma held out his arm for Zelda to take. "Now shall we join our families for breakfast?" he said, in his sweetest little voice.

Zelda did not take his arm but kept walking on, letting his words fall on deaf ears. Instead, her mind was elsewhere, trying to remember the frog spell….

"Good morning, my rose."

Zelda's head shot up from her thoughts to her father. Oh, she was glad to see him more than ever; now Uncouthma had no choice but to behave. Also in the dinning room with them was King Vasil and Queen Dinah Tar Alem, whom their children perfectly resembled, and their youngest child, Princess Lalana.

Princess Lalana was the daintiest little thing under a tiara one could find and was Zelda's near complete opposite. One difference between the two was that Lalana wore her lovely golden locks in bouncy curls down to the bottom of her shoulders, letting two large ones frame her little face while Zelda preferred hers to remain straight or in a horse tail or braid. Lalana also had bright brown eyes that were shaded with the princess's eye make-up, a dainty little pointed nose, big rosy cheeks, and bright red lips that hid her oral pearls. Zelda, in contrast, never wore make-up, as it made her skin crawl and itch; however, Lalana always seemed to wear too much. Another difference was in the way the two princesses dressed. Zelda, who favored her mother's plain dresses to her more elaborate ball-gowns, always preferred to dress simply if she could get away with it. Lalana, however, loved her gowns. She always had a very big skirted gown on for what she claimed was, "The moment," when she would meet a handsome prince or knight and be swept of her feet in a dance. A side affect of that was no one could possibly dance comfortably while fighting her dress, and that Zelda had grown into a habit of walking at least a foot to the side of her--even when her friend was without the gown. Lalana was also about ten months younger than Zelda was. However, Lalana had one thing in common with Zelda: she was neither proud nor was she vain.

Immediately upon seeing her friend in good health, Lalana rushed forward, as quickly as she could in high heels and a ten pound dress, and wailed at the top of her high, high, high voice, "ZELLIE!!!!"

Poor Zelda had, unfortunately, had that pet-name adopted by both the Tar Alem heirs; but she tolerated it better with Lalana. Zelda opened her arms in anticipation of her friend's embrace, but she received a squeeze worthy of a Goron instead.

"Oh, Zellie, I was perfectly horrified when I heard about you!" the younger princess squealed, her voice like little bells on a sleigh, "Imprisoned by a monster from another world, how dreadful! Are you traumatized!?"

"Not in the least…I am running out of air though…" Zelda gasped. Lalana let her go immediately and began bubbly apologies to her friend, but Zelda raise her hand to tell her it was unnecessary for her to continue.

King Matthias laughed as the two friends shared their exchange and bade his guests to breakfast. As always, Matthias sat at the head with Zelda to his right and, to the delight of the latter, sat Lalana, blocking her brother from sitting next to her. However, not one to be so easily vexed, he gave Zelda a playful tug on her hair as he took the seat next to his sister. Zelda was not one to play games but used a little magic to make his chair slide back a little too much when he pulled it out, allowing for the inevitable. Uncouthma fell flat on his rear and Zelda did not even give a second glance. On the inside however, she was laughing quite hard. Looking back at her father, she saw him giving, what she considered, to be his most dangerous look: a half smile, half scowl. She had a feeling he knew that she was the culprit, but thankfully he said nothing.

"So, Matthias, my comrade," said King Vasil, his deep voice flowing over his curly black beard, "what's all this chatter about a ball tonight, eh?"

Matthias swallowed a bite of his biscuit and strawberry jam. "Erm? Oh yes, my daughter was in charge of organizing a ball to honor the Hero of Hyrule, Link of Ordon, the young man I told you about. It's tonight."

Zelda's eyebrows popped up in recollection: the ball was that evening and she had forgotten…She mentally slapped herself.

"Oh, really?" said Queen Dinah, her voice soft as a whisper, "Would it be appropriate if we joined in said festivities?" she said, looking to her husband for approval rather than Matthias.

"Of course!" Vasil boomed, "That is if our hosts would be so kind as to…"

"You know you are welcome," Matthias finished.

"Oh! That's sounds wonderful!" squealed Lalana, "Zelda, you do always throw the best balls!"

Though she would not admit it herself, Zelda did have a talent for planning balls other royals would be proud to have at their own palaces. Something, she did admit, she inherited from her mother's generous and welcoming nature.

Uncouthma took a long drink from his glass and looked over his sister's shoulder at his hostess. "I'm hoping you'll save at least one dance for me?"

Zelda, in all perfect honesty, wanted nothing more than to tip his chair over again. However, as he was the visiting prince and she the hostess, she was obligated to dance with him no matter what… However…

"Only if you behave like a gentleman, Uncouthma." she said, controlling herself fabulously. Uncouthma looked scandalized, however. The culture clash never seemed to end…

Zelda was unable to find another book to read to help Link for the rest of the afternoon, as her time was split making last minute preparations for the ball, avoiding Uncouthma, lending her ear to Lalana and her endless chattering about princes, avoiding Uncouthma, choosing her outfit for the evening, and avoiding Uncouthma. She chided herself for not being able to get at least one book and finding the spell Link was under. Some help she was…

"Not too tight, please…" Zelda winced. The evening was upon her and she was in her suite getting ready with the help of one of her ladies-in-waiting. Zelda had chosen a lovely lilac gown that was one of her more loved gowns. The gown, from the top down, had no sleeves, but did have two thick bands of a darker lilac over her shoulders and joining at the back. The neckline curved down only a little bit from the base of her neck, as Zelda despised wearing anything _immodest_. The bodice of the gown was an even darker lilac than the straps, and the skirt was the lightest shade. The skirt was delightfully neither very heavy nor wide, making movement, even in her blasted heels, easy.

When her lady-in-waiting was finished lacing up Zelda's bodice, the lady left, leaving Zelda to finish on her own. For some reason, Zelda had a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, as if she knew something was going to happen. Whether Link's revelation of his curse had anything to do with it was beyond her, but she swore to herself she would keep her eyes open.

Zelda put on her remaining articles--her tiara, her gloves, her necklace-- and left to join her father, whom she knew was waiting for her before they entered the ball room.

She found her father right where she knew he would be: in the waiting area for the grand entrance into the ballroom. The area was only decorated with a few chairs for the royals and guests of honor to sit in and wait before their entrance was heralded, but that was it. Zelda was grateful that only her father was with her; she didn't have the patience to deal with Uncouthma right then. As usual, Matthias's eyes lit up as soon as he saw his daughter.

"Ah, there you are, my rose. You look wonderful this evening," he said, beaming.

"Thank you, Father."

"I believe our guest of honor should be here in a moment; I hope you don't mind, but I have taken the liberty of making him your escort for the night."

Zelda didn't know what to think about that. Link being her escort meant that she wouldn't have Uncouthma on her all night, but she would have to dance with Link. Did he even want to dance? Did he dance? Zelda was about to ask what her father was thinking when a guard announced that Link had arrived and stepped out of the way to allow the young Hero into the space.

Anyone who didn't have an eye for magical objects would have sworn Link was wearing the suit of Magic Armor from the newly popular "Malo Mart," but Zelda knew better and that it was merely an imitation of his real armor. Link also wasn't wearing his hat that went with it, and had his hair quickly smoothed back and tied back at the nape. He looked very nice, but Zelda saw the apprehension in his eyes.

Link bowed before her and her father, saying nothing.

"Welcome, Master Link. I trust your journey was pleasant?" said the King, in an attempt to get Link to speak without fear.

"It was, Sire," was all that came, though.

Through the thick oak doors, the King, the Princess, and the Hero all heard the blare of the trumpets: it was time to go in. Two guards standing on the other side were at the ready to pull the doors open when the herald was ready. All could hear him shout, "His most royal Majesty, Matthias Leone Hyrule, King of Hyrule."

Without needing further ado, King Matthias stepped through the doors to the applause given to the king at a royal ball before he disappeared from the sight of his daughter and his guest.

Zelda turned to Link, who was in a cold sweat. "Are you all right?"

"Just….nervous…" he admitted.

"It will be all right," she said, trying also to convince herself, "just trust me."

The trumpets blared again once the king was at the bottom, awaiting his daughter.

"Her most gracious Majesty, Princess Zelda Anastasia Hyrule, and the Great Hero of the nation, Master Link."

Again they heard the steady cheering of the gathering, only just a little more than King Matthias received. Link held his arm for Zelda to take, and the two began to descend the stairs.

The ballroom was the largest open space in the castle, even more so than the throne room. The whole of the room glittered in the golden color of the moldings, the railings, the chandeliers, and the flames that burned from them. One wall was entirely devoted to the large windows that stretched from the floor to near the ceiling, which was about fifty feet, and framed by burgundy curtains that were closed when the space was not being used. The dance floor, designated by the multicolored marble floor, was the most crowded area that evening and some wall-flowering idlers were standing around the stage where the band was playing. Most others were over by the long tables, set parallel to the windows, taking plates of the best delicacies the royal chef's had to offer the crowd.

When Link and Zelda reached the bottom of the stairs, the King greeted all of the gathering and bade them all enjoy the evening. Link politely excused himself and went of in search of his friends from Odron. Zelda thought it would be best for her to locate Uncouthma. If she found him first, he wouldn't find her later…

Zelda knew where he might be. He would be wherever there was a large cluster of girls…Although he claimed to love her, he wasted no time in flirting to the first girl that caught his glance. Sure enough, she spotted him several yards away, flexing his muscles for a group of squealing girls…

"Barbarian…" Zelda seethed. She made an attempt to leave before he turned around and spotted her, but bumped into the bouncy skirt that belonged to Lalana.

"Oh, Zellie, this ball is simply BEAUTIFUL!!!! You've outdone yourself, really you have!" she gushed.

Zelda whipped her head around to see whether or not Uncouthma heard his sister belt her name out; she saw him look directly at her. Turning back around to her friend, "No, no, no, this I really haven't. Now if you'll just excuse me--"

Before Zelda had the chance to escape, she felt Uncouthma's hard grip around her wrist as he wiped her around to face him, giving her a sickeningly sweet little smirk.

"I believe you owe me a dance…" he said, his voice uncomfortably husky…

"I said only if you behave…Uncouthma, and trapping me like one of your little trophies does not count…" she said, struggling against his grasp with every word.

"You won't dance with a visiting prince?" he said, moving closer as if to kiss her, "How uncharacteristically 'un-proper' of you…"

Zelda felt her stomach twist as he forced his awful breath into her face. Judging by the smell, he had eaten something with far to much garlic…

"I am not convinced you are in the position to tell me what is and what is not proper, Uncouthma," she bit, "Please, unhand me, or else I will have you thrown from the grounds…"

"Well, since you're not in a generous mood today, I'll trade. One dance for me, and I'll leave you alone. Deal?"

Zelda hated him so much…He was as dumb as a stone wall but was as cunning as the foxes he liked to hunt…

"Very well, but only one dance." she said, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. Zelda did not look at Uncouthma, because she was sure he had a smug grin on his face, happy that he won…

As the dance began, Zelda determined herself, not to encourage him in any way, to let him have his cake but not eat it too. It worked for a while, until he stomped on her toes in his large hunting boots. Zelda gritted her teeth, but said nothing; but that didn't prevent Uncouthma from using it to his advantage.

"Something wrong, Zellie?" he teased.

"You did that on purpose?" she questioned, more sarcastic than surprised.

"Well, I wouldn't be the great huntsman I am if I didn't take every opportunity presented to me, now would I?" he cooed, "You know, back home, my men are working on something that will revolutionize the way we hunt. They're calling it a 'rifle'."

"You don't say," Zelda said, cut off as her foot received another firm stomp.

"Yep, it's almost like a canon. Only it sits on the shoulder and fires a little iron ball. They're still working on it so--"

Uncouthma stopped as soon as he realized the dance was over. Zelda took her chance and fled before he could stop her. She managed to find something rare: a quiet corner of the room. She headed for the first chair she saw and sat down, looking at her casualties that were her feet.

_These blasted heals..._she thought, _Whoever invented these clearly didn't think about having hunting boots coming down on them..._

Zelda removed the shoes and began to massage her feet when it seemed that the whole ballroom lit up in a flash of white. She looked up, out the window to see a gigantic bolt of lightning and a few drops of rain. Apparently the storms Link predicted were upon them. Zelda prayed that it wasn't an omen…

As she thought about it, she thought it might be best to find Link. She didn't know why, but she just had a feeling. She saw him a little way over, about a dozen or so yards, hunched over one of the long tables. At first, she thought he was coughing something bad he ate back up; but as she watched him, she realized that was not the case and went over to him.

"Link?" she said as she came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Is everything--"

"Zelda," he growled, "Get…..get back……"

"Link, please tell me you're not--"

"Get back!" he barked. Now she was sure of it: Link was fighting off his curse again, in front of all of Hyrule…

"Link follow me to the library! No one will--"

Before Zelda could finish, she felt herself flying through the air. But it was not a pleasant feeling. She felt as if she had all of the air in her pushed out of her chest, like she was about to lose consciousness. She felt her head impact with something…another person…she looked up from her position on her back up at her father's face and then back towards Link.

Link, who had thrown Zelda backwards with a powerful backhanded slap, was grasping at his head, all the while thrashing about much more violently than Zelda had seen before. Already his hands had the razor claws on them, and soon they and the rest of his body began to sprout dark fur everywhere. As he transformed, he grew. He grew far too large for his armor to contain, so that his upper body burst through every seam in the finely made uniform and his legs broke through the bottom of his trousers as his tail burst through the back. His face, expression full of pain and fear, morphed into the ferocious maw of a wolf. As he thrashed, he upturned the table nearest him, scattering its contents everywhere; and he howled his most blood freezing howl, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

When it seemed his awful transformation was done, he collapsed flat on the floor. However, he began to stir, once more in his right mind, and he rose. At first, everybody was silent, until one lady shouted, "He's a monster!"

Link looked about himself helplessly as more people took up the cry, hearing even more shouts.

"He's hideous!"  
"He's one of them!"  
"He'll kill us all!"  
"He attacked the Princess!"

Zelda, who was still dizzy, felt something trickling down her face. She reached for her forehead and touched her gloved hand to stop the throbbing, only to stain it with her blood. King Matthias, who saw his daughter with four scratches from Link's claws on her pristine face, held a hand up to stop the shouting. When all was silent, he shouted, "Guards!"

No sooner than that, Link was surrounded by fifty soldiers who pointed their fifty spears at him, waiting for their king's command.

"Seize that creature!!!!!!"

Immediately they rushed at him, shouting battle cries and curses at the man the had been honoring not but two minutes ago.

Link would not go easily. He made a run for the window, knocking one guard away with a balled fist and barreling through the others. The rest of the guards threw their spears at him just as he leapt through the window with the noise of shattering glass accompanied by another flash of lightning and a crash of thunder. Link had escaped into the now rainy night.

"Find that monster! I want him bound before me!" Matthias shouted.

Zelda felt herself being lifted by her arms and being carried away from the scene. She did not protest, for she fell into the grasp of unconsciousness, and her vision was clouded in darkness…  
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_Reviews are so wonderful to read...If only I had some..._

_Oh! That reminds me: I have a message to one of you who reviewed me last time. "My teeth are green." You would have to have read a certain book to know what that means...  
_


	3. In Which Zelda Embarks on Her Journey

_AN/ I love weekends! I am really productive today, I just posted a one-shot and finished this chapter all in the span of three hours! Well, this chapter was a little more difficult to write, but once I keep going it will be worth it. Okay, Zelda is now going to really get the plot going now. But why listen to me jabber about it? Read for yourself!_

**Universal Disclaimer: I own nothing about what I write. I make no money. I only gain happiness from making others happy.  
**

Chapter Three In Which Zelda Embarks on Her Journey and Enters the Lost World

The day after the calamity at the ball had Castle Town, and all of Hyrule for that matter, buzzing with rumors, all of which about their Hero. Was he with those monsters? Was he conspiring against the Royal Family? Was he even Hylian? Zelda felt their gossip tear her to shreds.

When Zelda recovered from her little "incident," she began to piece together the events following her faint.

Apparently, after she was escorted from the ballroom, she had been taken to see the castle physician for examination. All he could find were the rather large cuts across her face, but they were only superficial and would heal over in about a week or so. Her faint was explained by her receiving a concussion from Link's blow, but otherwise showed no other ill affects and was given a clean bill of health.

Her father, on the other hand, did not let the situation blow over so easily. He had nearly every guard he could find out in the countryside looking for the disgraced Hero. Zelda often heard her father lose his temper when a report came back empty, which happened at least eight times a day. She tried to get her father to calm down as often as she could, but the fact was that Matthias would not be satisfied until Link was before him in chains.

Seeing that her father would not listen to her plea for him to let Link come back and explain for himself, Zelda decided to take matters into her own hands; and that meant she had to find where Link had gone. She had to find him because she overheard a group of younger, more inexperience guards talking about how they had ransacked Link's house in Ordon, finding nothing that could lead them to the beast's whereabouts. Therefore, Zelda would have to start from scratch.

* * *

One bright spring day, a young servant girl was walking quickly towards the storeroom, looking over her shoulder every few steps or so. Now, anyone who took a close look at the girl would have mistaken her for Princess Zelda; but only those with the sharpest of eyes would have noticed that it was indeed she. Zelda, being so clever as she was, stole a simple set of clothes from the washroom that just happened to be her size and a pair of servant heals. Not as awkward or showy as the pairs she had to wear normally but still heals: uncomfortable, difficult heals.

The whole of her costume was simple enough, just a white ladies tunic and a brown skirt with a white apron over that; but it was enough to walk by every servant in the castle unnoticed. She thankfully made it to the storeroom with no confrontation.

_Oh sweet Nayru, I made it. Okay, so now to see what information Castle Town holds for me…Oh dear, the storeroom keeper! _

The storeroom keeper was a little fat man who's only job was to keep the storeroom clean and full and take a tally of his things every day or two to make sure nothing was missing. Unfortunately, he also guarded the door closest to Castle Town: the easiest door in the castle to sneak out of…

Zelda heard the little man's nasal voice before she saw him…

"……eighty pounds of flour……twelve pounds of sugar……..Hmm? Who's there?"

Zelda thought it best to not put up a fight. Besides, she was sure he would not recognized her; he, after all, did choose to spend all day in his domain.

"Hello," Zelda said, casually, appearing to be a simple passer-by.

"Hrrumph," the little man snorted, "If you're looking for something, get it and get out. I have much work to do and I'm sure you do too……….Fifty loaves of…oh my." he said, looking at three baskets full of bread loaves.

"Oh my what?" Zelda asked. She prayed for what he would say…

"I'm short ten loaves from this morning, and we need fifty for tonight….You, since you're here, go out into Castle Town and buy ten loaves of bread. Any bread, I don't care. Here," he said, pulling an orange rupee from his pocket. The little man shoved her out the Castle Town door and quickly pulled it shut.

_What wonderful luck!_ Zelda thought. She placed the rupee in the pocket of her apron and looked around. She seemed to be in a quiet corner of Eastern Castle Town, by the cathedral. She stepped out onto the street, getting absolutely no attention………..she loved it.

Aside from a few men, she didn't receive a second glance from anyone! Her little disguise was working wonders for her and she decided not to rush on that order of bread, lunch would not be served for two hours….but Lady Gray would be looking for her, or worse, her father……She would have to make this quick, after all.

Deciding that South Street, the general marketplace, would be the best place to try and pick up any hearsay on the matter of Link's vanishing act, she casually but quickly made her way to the busy street. She was not there not five minutes before she saw someone, a young lady maybe a year or two younger than herself with straw colored hair that curled sharply left at her shoulders, emerald eyes, a lean body slightly tanned from the sun but not enough to be too noticeable, a little tight white knee-length dress and a pair of brown pants. _Ilia…._

Zelda could vaguely remember seeing the girl from inside Midna's life form, trapped in a limbo like state, unable to really capture every detail of the world around her. However, she remembered that this girl was Link's friend and most likely knew about his whereabouts more than anyone. At the moment Zelda had spotted the Ordonian, the girl was standing next to a rotund man pushing a cart full of spring pumpkins into an empty spot in the line of stalls next to an alley that Zelda remembered led to a tavern…Telma's bar, that was the name.

The big man, whom Zelda remembered was the Ordon mayor and the girl's father, seemed distracted enough so Zelda could talk to his daughter and not be seen. Zelda gently tapped the girl's shoulder, and the girl turned to meet her.

"Hi there, can I help you?"

"Um, yes. I--I was wondering what you knew about that Hero. Link? You know him right?"

"Yeah….what do you…." the girl paused, looking at Zelda intensely. Zelda's heart skipped a beat as the glow of enlightenment lit up Ilia's face and she began to say, "Your High--"

Zelda could not take a risk.

She grabbed Ilia, one hand around her waist while the other was over her mouth, and quickly ducked into the alley by the bar entrance. Slamming her back against the wall, she looked back at the street to make sure no one saw that little episode.

_Oh, sweet Din, that was close _she thought as she saw she was lucky no one saw her. Ilia, meanwhile, was muffling out some cries of protest under the Princess's hand. Zelda turned her attention to her and whispered in the girls ear.

"I'm sorry, but you mustn't call me that right now. Not even my own name. I'm not supposed to be here and I will be punished if anyone finds me here. I'm going to release you, but you have to be very quiet, understand?"

Ilia nodded, and Zelda kept her word. As Ilia took a moment to catch her breath from the surprise, Zelda could see the young lady was nervous about being before her. A sad side affect of being a Princess…

"What would you like to know, your--I mean, Miss?" Ilia asked.

"Anything," Zelda answered, "Hopefully, about where he went after the ball. Surely you know, right?"

Ilia looked at the stone ground…

"Right?" Zelda asked again.

"I know that after the ball, we all rushed home to see if he was in his house, hiding again. When we got there, it looked like he had beaten us to it: the place was ransacked with fur all over the place. His weapons, minus that…Master Sword, were all gone. He left most of his things there though, and we haven't seen him since. But…."

"But? But? But what?" Zelda pressed.

"I found his foot--er, paw prints, I guess. I followed them on my own until I found where they led…the Faron Spirit Spring…you know what's behind there, right?"

"I admit I do not….Pray tell me."

"….You can't tell anyone about this, okay. He went beyond the Spring, into the Lost World…"

"Lost World?" Zelda echoed. She had never heard of such a place.

"In Ordon, it's kind of a big deal. See, ever since we were young, we were all told never, ever, to go behind the Spirit Spring. There's supposed to be a haunted forest back there, with giant monsters and witches and wizards and things like that. But nobody really knows because no body has ever come out alive…"

"Really…Do you think Link banished himself there?"

"I can't see any other reason…Wait, you're not going there, are you?"

"I must. I promised him I would help him break his curse-- don't ask me when. I--"

"Prin--er, Miss! You can't do that! It is absolutely forbidden! My father even put up an iron gate and destroyed the key!"

"How did Link get in?" Zelda retorted.

"He…Well, he went through it. So says my father. That's why he had Rusl make a new gate…"

Zelda used all her will power to keep a smile from creeping onto her face, and redirected her energy into a sigh of disappointment.

"I will have to think of something else than…" she lied.

Zelda was about to thank the girl when they heard a very loud, "ILIA!!!" coming from the streets.

"Coming!" Ilia called back to her father, "I have to go; I won't tell anyone we met."

"Good," Zelda said. Ilia left and Zelda waited a moment before leaving herself, first to buy some bread, and then to go plan….

* * *

Another turn of good fortune that day was that Uncouthma had left with some of his men to hunt, leaving Zelda plenty of time to scour the library for anything else on the so-called Lost World. Lalana, thankfully, didn't pay Zelda any mind as to what book she was looking for, instead choosing to read a romance novel that Zelda had pointed our to divert her attention. Little surprise when it worked. Not so fortunately, she choose to read the book aloud, distracting Zelda from her work.

"'……so kiss me now, my love, for I fear our time runs short and the hands of fate are yet to rip us apart' Oh! Such romance! It's just divine! Don't you think so, Zellie?"

"Uh, yes very nice…" Zelda said absent mindedly. She already read the book Lalana had and honestly thought the whole thing to be rather cheesy. It wasn't realistic in the slightest, and the plot was too easy to spell out before one even finished the book. Therefore, she was only all the more engrossed in looking up any atlas or book, fiction or not, that made any sort of mention to the Lost World. Sadly, in a room with more books than could be read in a lifetime, she found nothing.

"Zellie? Uh, Zellie? Yoo-hoo, are you listening?" Lalana called.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Lalana. I'm just looking still. What is it?"

Lalana stood at the foot of the ladder Zelda stood on looking up concernedly at her friend.

"I was just saying that I'm going to bed. It's far to late to be crawling around here so I think you should do the same."

"Oh, Lalana, "Zelda sighed as she slid down the ladder in a swift movement she learned as a child, "All right, I think I could retire also. Enjoy your--"

Zelda was unable to finish as her friend encircled her frame in one of her bone crushing hugs.

_She's stronger than she looks…_ Zelda reminded herself.

"Good night!" Lalana giggled as she left, or bounced, down the passage way to her guest suite.

_I really should go to my room. I don't want to see if Uncouthma wants a 'good-night' kiss…_

* * *

Once Zelda had changed into her long night gown, she flopped down on her bed and stared up the bottom of the canopy. She had failed to find something about his curse before Link had disappeared, she couldn't find anything on his location now that she had an idea where he was--what a useless Princess! How could she help him now?

She sat up again, carelessly casting a glance a the book on her side table-trunk. The book…._Legends of the Ancient World…_She dared not hope but opened the book anyway.

"Table of Contents…….Let's see…." Zelda muttered to herself, "'Ancient Monsters'……….'Creation of Civilization'……..'Alternate Realms'-- Alternate Realm! That's it!"

Zelda flipped through the book pages until she found the beginning of the chapter. She began to read at a furious, yet scrutinizing pace.

"_The study of Alternate Realms is about as old as the world itself; mankind has always wondered what sort of places lie beyond our world. Sometimes, people claim to discover ways to other worlds, but more often than not, these claims are proven false."_

_Just what I need…_ Zelda thought.

"_However, once in a great while, evidence is found and is unable to be truly proven false--" _

"I don't have that kind of time!" she whispered to herself. Zelda flipped through a couple pages until she found the name _Lost World. _She read on…

"…_in addition, the 'Lost World' has sparked a great amount of controversy. The only known portal is said to lie in the heart of Faron Woods, behind the 'Sacred Spirit Spring.'" _

_Now that's more like it! _thought the Princess.

"_Legend labels this portal as one of the more dangerous places in the world, as countless explorers have never come out from the cursed portal. With a one-in-ten thousand survival rate, the place was declared forbidden from exploration by King Gustaf V. Since the ban, only condemned prisoners who are guilty of crimes of treason have been forced through the iron gate, also put in place because of the ban._

"_Several reasons for the ban were included in the original decree. One being that, if one was 'lucky', one could hear monstrous roars echoing from far away down the tunnel, however long it truly is. This, although frightening, has proven that life exists in the 'Lost World' despite many claims otherwise; but what kind of life is to be found is a question many deem to be best unanswered… _

"_Another, though less frightening reason, is the strange phenomenon that, although the forest surrounding Faron stretches for miles, the only actual entrance to the 'Lost World' is behind the Spring. Due to this phenomenon, it is heavily believed by scholars that this is no doubt a place of great magic. Whether that magic is benevolent or malevolent is yet to be known…" _

The article in the book ended, and although Zelda was enlightened somewhat, she still felt in the dark. No explores before her meant she was going in blind. She got up to put the book on the far edge of the trunk, to erase the temptation to read more during the night. Frustrated and tired, the Princess bemoaned her uselessness.

"'Oh, Link, thank you for saving my life and my people, but I am afraid I cannot help you brake your curse'! What kind of thanks is that!?" She gazed up and out her window at the heavens.

"Send me a sign!" she said, leaning against the wall near her bed, something she was taught not to do, "Anything will do, you know?"

At that moment, the wall Zelda leaned on gave in, like a door opening, and she fell unexpectedly on her side. She looked up and saw that the wall contained a false door _leading down a secret passage_.

Needless to say, Zelda could not help smiling in spite of herself. _I can take a hint_…

Grabbing a lit candle from her trunk, she threw all caution to the wind and went down the dark passage. The first thing Zelda noticed was that the tunnel was only _just _large enough for someone of her build to move easily though. She wasn't a small person, at six foot even, but she could tell this was built to keep others out. Just who built it and why were the only other thoughts occupying her mind.

The tunnel was not extraordinarily long, for in only about twenty paces of walking straight forward, she found herself in a small circular keep…With only one slit in the wall for a window, the room was only lit by Zelda's candle. She saw that the small space was only occupied by a few chests with no locks on them…because the locks had long since rusted off by the looks of it. There were three identical chests, in a little half circle lining the wall. Besides that, there was nothing else.

Setting her candle down on the floor, Zelda preceded to open the middle chest. She knew that something, _something_ in these chests would help. And, although it took a little bit of effort, Zelda had beaten the old lock and opened the chest. Inside, there was an odd piece of clothing. Zelda lifted it out to examine it.

The outfit looked like an old uniform at first glance, but it was not a Hylian one. It was a deep lilac purple, Zelda's favorite, and had an unusual marking on the front of it: an eye that seemed to have a handle on the bottom of it with three points sticking up from it. Zelda recognized it as the one on the back of her black cloak, although the actual meaning of the symbol was never known to heras long as she could remember seeing it. The outfit also seemed to have been made for a woman's use, or a very skinny man, and she estimated that she could fit into it….

_Worth a try…_

Zelda slipped out of her nightgown and (so as not to damage the who-knows-how-old costume) carefully put it on. When finished, she noticed that the strange costume fit like it was tailor made for her. She looked back in the chest where she had retrieved the uniform and found some bandages? No, they were head wrappings, not bandages. There were also a set of light gauntlets that seemed to have some throwing needles concealed in the wrist for easy reach. Surely whoever this outfit belonged to was a trained warrior…

Searching the other chests, Zelda found even more weapons such as throwing knives, poison darts, a whip-chain, several Deku Nuts, a short sword and sheath, and climbing claws. Zelda could not help but formulate a plan as she took inventory of her newfound tools…

She ran back to her room to fetch her watch; it was only ten o'clock…she could reach Faron Woods before dawn if she left now…

Zelda was quick in gathering the weapons she found with the addition of her rapier into a bag she found lying around one day. She had a bad habit of taking things that were just left around and using them for her own devices…The last thing she put in--or rather on-- was her mother's necklace, which was a rose shaped locket attached to a lilac ribbon that would go around her neck. She always thought the necklace brought her good luck…because it really did.

_I am going to need some provisions…I have no idea how long I will be going without a re-supply._

Zelda thought she could try sneaking around in her new costume, as it seemed to have been made for that purpose in the first place. She opened her balcony window and, remembering how Link climbed down from her room, found the area in the wall he mentioned. She never tried spider-walking before, but she was sure it couldn't be _too_ hard…

She made it about three-fourths of the way down when her right foot slipped and she came falling the rest of the fifteen feet she had to go, making a very un-princess like landing in a bush…

She checked her belongings to find nothing was damaged or lost, much to her relief. The surprising thing was that no guards had heard Zelda fall into the bush; she was sure of that because she heard no shouts or even footsteps coming towards her…

_When I get back, I really should tell Father about our lazy guards…_

Thankfully, Zelda had landed close to the storeroom so she went inside to get some provisions. The storeroom keeper was sound asleep on a barrel; he posed no threat. She grabbed some food and a water canteen and left without making so much as a sound. She then made her way to the castle stables to get her horse, Prince. She would need him for some time.

Prince was a little larger than Epona, by a few inches at least, and was a deep velvety black with white mane, tail, and feathers around his legs. He was a birthday gift from her father some years back and was as good as gold and smart as a whip.

The stable was left unguarded, so Zelda was able to get to work with less of a chance of being caught. Prince, who was dreaming peacefully of a valley of clover, woke with a snort to the sound of his mistress retrieving her saddle.

"Shhh, easy, boy," she said, trying to keep him from waking the other horses in the stable, "You and I are going for a late night ride…"

Zelda, who was quite used to saddling her own horse, wasted no time and was soon leading the very confused horse out of the stable. Now Zelda had to figure out how to get out of the castle with Prince…

The runaway Princess soon realized that she had idly led Prince to the southern courtyard, right near the gate to the castle. Again, there were no guards anywhere! Something that, for now, Zelda was glad for. Literally walking out the front door, Zelda was free. She mounted Prince and galloped out of the town.

Zelda could not help but laugh as she rode over the field south to Faron. She had barely planned that escape for not but five minutes and yet she was on her way to the Lost World, with nary an alarm sounded! She was not cocky, however, and kept looking over her shoulder as she rode, just to make sure no one was following her.

* * *

Prince was quite the steady runner, never tiring himself yet never going too slow, so Zelda reached Faron Woods, just as she predicted, just before dawn. When she finally did reach the Spirit Spring, Zelda felt quite drowsy, having spent all night riding. However, resting was not an option for her. Refilling her canteen with Spirit water, on the contrary, was. Kneeling down near the water, Zelda could faintly see very large paw prints leading into the spring and behind it.

Link had ran through here…

Taking a quick drink revitalized Zelda for the time being, and Prince seemed well off after taking in a rather large quantity of the water himself. She mounted him again, and urged her horse onward. Prince, however, did not seem so keen on going beyond the Spring as his mistress. He tried to back up and convince her this was a bad idea. Zelda was taken aback by her horse's behavior; Prince usually obeyed her without worry or question… Perhaps he could sense something she could not…

Never the less, Zelda won the battle of wills and led him behind the rocky area. They walked on for a few seconds before Zelda could see the gate Ilia spoke of. The new gate was not of iron like it was before, but it was a wooden one that would probably be replaced before too long. However, she could see the original one lying close by….utterly destroyed by Link…

As for getting past the new gate, Zelda had an idea. Using her knowledge of magic, she whispered a spell and urged Prince forward, much to his confusion. She was using a spell that would allow them to pass through the wooden gate as a ghost would, and eventually, she got both of them inside a tunnel made of very thick trees. There was not enough light to see how long the tunnel went, but Zelda was not going to give up at the start of her journey.

_Lost World, here I come…._

* * *

Zelda had been ridding for what seemed like hours upon hours, yet she had still yet to see a single sign that the end of the tunnel was near. She spurred her horse onward through the woods, noticing how the trees started to block every ray of light out. She had somehow remained in that tunnel for three days and nights according to her pocket watch. She had not eaten nor drank in an attempt to save her rations, which were not much to start with now that she thought about it. Her stomach growled in painful protest to her inability to find more provisions for her journey.

_Why on earth would Link choose this place as a hideaway?_

She could hear no noise as she passed through that dark tunnel of the forest. Although the tales of the Lost Woods spoke of evil beasts that devoured the earth itself, she had at least expected to hear birds or other animals. But then again, she reminded herself that there where no eye-witnesses to confirm her thoughts…

Prince, also fatigued from the nonstop walking, whinnied in protest to the unnerving darkness and silence his mistress was putting him through.

"Easy, Prince," she whispered, in a rather unconvincing attempt to calm him, "We're going to be--"

Her words hung in the air as a roar that could shatter glass pierced the air with horrifying ferocity. More powerful than a dragon's roar, she thought.

Prince had had enough. He reared up so suddenly that Zelda had no chance in staying on his back, and was thrown to the ground. She watched as he tried to run away carrying _all her supplies with him!_ She managed to catch a hold on her saddle bag, but was threatening to lose her grip while Prince was galloping faster than ever before in his life, desperate to get out of the cursed tunnel. Zelda was able to hold on, until the straps that kept her bag tied to the saddle came lose, sending her crashing to the ground again. She laid motionless, listening as Prince's hoof beats faded away, home….

When Zelda regained her ability to stand, she checked over her belongings again. Unfortunately, she was not able to retrieve her rapier and her food rations from Prince, leaving her with her throwing objects, whip, Deku Nuts, and near-empty canteen. Zelda took out her watch again.

Zelda was confused to see that her watch was completely erratic. The hands were spinning in opposite directions and the second hand had stopped working altogether. Zelda took a moment to curse her bad luck, but pressed onward. However, she was _much_ less enthusiastic, now that she heard that roar.

Zelda, having had some training in magic arts, could feel a magical presence suddenly surround her, like a wall, almost. She must have crossed over into the Lost World…Now if only she could escape this eternal tunnel….

* * *

Zelda lost track of how long she had been walking after several more hours of it….Was she trapped? She could barely keep awake, so she was almost sleepwalking as she marched endlessly. She had no idea how many days it had been since she entered. A week could have gone by and she wouldn't know.

Her stomach began to hurt, having not had a single thing to eat in Nayru knew how long, and she felt dehydrated. Canteen empty, she had no way of refilling it until she could get out of this tunnel. She hadn't seen a ray of sunshine since the day before she made her escape. Was it hopeless? Would she be trapped forever?

_No, _she thought suddenly,_ it couldn't be…_ Light….

Zelda could literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It burned her eyes to look at it, but there was nothing she wouldn't do than escape into that light, to get out of the tunnel, even if it just led her in one big circle and she ended up back in Faron. She didn't care, she was just desperate to get out…

She ran as fast as she could before she found herself in the light, not direct sunlight, but not total darkness. She looked around, after her eyes adjusted, and found herself in a bamboo grove. She looked up to see the sky covered in dark clouds with just enough light coming through to light her way. Rain clouds, by the looks of them.

Zelda took no more time to enjoy what limited scenery she had to look at as she heard something _very, very big _prowling around in the grove with her….Something twice-- no, three, four times the size of her horse was on the path behind her. She looked, only to meet the wicked red eyes of some hideous creature that appeared to be covered in thick, slimy, stomach-churning red worms (or possibly tentacles) all over its six-legged body. Anything the wormy tentacles touched died, and with every step the monster took, the life seemed to drain from the earth it walked on.

The creature roared at her, though not the roar she heard before, and charged, bloodlust in its wicked eyes…Zelda--exhausted, sleep deprived, famished, dehydrated, and disoriented-- ran for her life. She followed an open path, marked by stone road markers, to wherever it went.

She thought for a second…If there were road markers, than someone had to put them there! Maybe she could find help if she was able to get out of the mess she was in…

Zelda heard another roar, this time the same one she heard in that tunnel. This one was more frightening than the monster chasing her…and it was behind her too….She pushed herself to run even faster than before, down that winding path through the bamboo forest. She heard a struggle going on behind her, hearing trees snap and rocks crumble. She didn't dare look back

The bamboo soon began to thin out until she slowed down at the edge of the thicket. She seemed to be in a small valley with a _village_. The village had rather large houses, all of which had bright red roofs and bright white walls; a river fed by a waterfall at one end of the village; several large gardens; and a single stone path that divided the village and winded up a nearby mountain.

The odd part about the village was that it seemed completely empty.

It wasn't abandoned, as everything looked well taken care of. She thought about the monster--monsters-- that chased her. Maybe they scared whoever lived here inside. As she tried to catch her breath, she debated going into the village and asking for help. She had no money to offer them, and she wasn't sure if they were a charitable people. She decided that she would have to take a chance with the villagers.

She followed the stone road down the line of houses, and tried to find out which one was likely to be occupied. It was still too light out for anyone to light lamps in their homes, and Zelda could not see through the windows…that was because they were covered in red wooden shutters. It wasn't until she was near the mountain trail that she heard something behind her.

She whirled around to see a boar…..a huge boar…………..one taller than her…..

"What are you doing here!?" It said….Zelda saw others behind it, boars and other animals….this place was occupied by animals…

"You are one of the witch's spies, aren't you!?" the first boar squealed angrily.

Zelda, who was afraid for her life, began to back up into a crevice in the stone of the mountain.

"I-I-I-I-I don't know what you mean!" she stuttered, "I don't know any witch, I swear!" Zelda's back hit the stone, she was trapped.

"We here in Sitka have no place for the witch's scum! Be gone, demon girl!" The other animals screeched in agreement with the boar, who was readying his tusks for a charge.

All the animals were silenced when they all heard the same earth shattering roar that Zelda had been hearing all day. Zelda's assailants all recoiled from her, looking up above her in fear.

Zelda looked up and saw why, growing fearful herself…

Behind her, up above her on a rock, was the largest, most ferocious Lion Zelda had ever seen…

* * *

_AN/ Well, that's over with. I apologize about the lack of desciptions but I just couldn't write anything I was happy with and chose to just move the plot along and get Zelda into the Lost World and add more desciptions as she gets more time to take everything in. I have the next chapter ready to go, but I need some _encouragement_ before I post it.__  
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**_Roses are red,_**

**_Violets are blue,_**

**_I will work harder, _**

**_If you would review!  
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	4. In Which Zelda Makes an Unlikely Friend

_AN/ Hmm...I didn't receive as many reviews on the last chapter as I hoped for...I hope with this one that will change. Remember, I work harder when I know more people are interested. I'll excuse the last time, but please let me know how I am doing so I can make the story better for you._

**Universal Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters, and usually they are even based on something else.**

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Chapter Four In Which Zelda Makes an Unlikely Friend and Learns a Great Deal

Zelda was absolutely petrified. The great beast who now stood right above her, roaring loud enough to frighten thunder, had to be taller than her father just standing on all fours. The beast had a silvery-white color to it, but appeared to be a menacing gray in the darkened light of the clouds. His fangs glistened despite the lack of direct sun, highlighting the bloody tips. His claws, also coated in fresh blood, were as long as one of Zelda's fingers. The beast's big gray eyes had a frightening power in them, as if his ferocity could not be released through his battle cry and had to pour from his eyes. Zelda had no doubt as to why these other creatures feared him…

The lion, when he had stopped roaring, leapt down in front of Zelda, blocking the other mad animals from massacring the princess. Zelda crouched into as tight a ball as she could, genuinely thinking that she was going to die. Had she been looking, she would have seen the lion's attentions were focused on the lynch mob instead of her. When the lion began to growl and roar and grunt, he was speaking to them in a different language. Had she understood the beasts' conversation, she would have heard the lion's true intentions…

"_Alright, enough of this!"_ the lion shouted, _"How dare you all try to harm an innocent young lady?"_

"_Innocent? Pah!" _snorted the boar that first confronted Zelda. The boar spoke with bravado in his voice, as the lion was bigger yet than he was. _"What business have you here, Aslan? This girl has trespassed into Sitka and she appeared just as a demon reared its ugly head! She is a demon of deceit, you know it! She--"_

"_Had nothing to do with the demon," _the lion named Aslan replied coolly, _"For your information, I have watched that girl since she came here. She just barely stumbled out of the Tunnel of Eternity looking like she hasn't seen good daylight in a week before that demon tried to kill her. I can also assure you she has nothing to do with the witch."_

"_You lie!" _several animals cried, _"She must be a demon, she killed Inago! She killed him!" _

Aslan roared again to silence them.

"_For your information, the great boar Inago was the big demon of rage that was plowing through here, not the girl. Second, she was not involved with Inago's death because I killed him." _

The boar before the lion seemed to shake in disbelief. _"Inago a demon? Never, he was too strong minded to become a demon!"_

"_He became greedy for power, you know that. He tried to set himself up as our king and was defeated in a dual with that black wolf. He became so enraged that he quickly lost his mind. He turned into a demon before nightfall. He had to be stopped."_

The other animals, which consisted largely of other boars, were shocked to hear that one of their most powerful had been turned into a demon. They looked at each other before Aslan spoke again.

"_The girl would have been his victim had I not intervened. Besides, even if she did kill him, what would you do about it? Eat her? You know our laws forbid the eating of humans and those who can still think for themselves. You would just turn into stupid pigs if you ate her, and I would be here, ready to feast once you all lose your ability to think." _

Again, they looked at him with disbelief.

"_Who are you to say what are laws are and are not? You killed the leader of the Boars!" _shouted the first boar.

"_You always do forget my title, don't you?" _said Aslan, sarcastically. _"I am Judge Aslan, thank you. I was there when these laws were written; do not forget that." _

The big lion looked out at the crowd of animals before him.

"_There is nothing more to see here. Leave the girl to me." _

Reluctantly, the animals left and went back into their houses. Aslan then turned towards the girl.

* * *

Zelda, completely unaware of the conversation that had just happened between the boar and the lion, stayed huddled up as far back from them as possible. She heard the sound of hoofs and some paws padding away from her, but she didn't dare look to see if the lion was still there. She kept her eyes shut tight. She began to shake when she heard very big paws padding towards her. Her only thought was whether the lion would kill her quickly and get it over with or tear her to shreds piece by agonizing piece…

She felt something tap her on her shoulder…………………A large paw.

Zelda looked up to see the big lion gazing at her with concern in his big gray eyes. Now that she had a better look at him, she realized that, when he wasn't trying to look ferocious, he actually had this calming aura around him. She still feared him, but not as much as before. Also, Zelda noticed that the lion had _pointed ears_.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice very deep. Zelda, still speechless, nodded.

"Good to know." The lion held out his paw in an attempt to help her back on her feet. She, albeit tentatively, allowed herself to be helped up. Once on her feet, she realized how tired she was. She felt like collapsing…However, she steadied herself.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Princess Zelda, I am Judge Aslan." he said politely.

"Nice to--how did you know my name?" Zelda said, baffled.

The lion chuckled softly. "A true Hylian always knows when he meets his ruler. Besides that, I--"

Aslan was interrupted by a crash of thunder. Both the beauty and the beast looked up into the sky and saw that the storm was starting.

"Tut, tut, looks like rain…" Aslan pondered aloud, "Perhaps this conversation could best be continued at my den? It looks to me like you could use some rest and a hot meal. Forgive me for being so bold as to say, but you look like you have seen better days…"

Zelda knew he was telling the truth. She felt like she had seen better days. Her new uniform was very dusty, she was beginning to look gaunt from lack of food, she knew her eyes must have been dark from lack of sleep, and she was also very pale from who knows why. She was so sore from walking for days and from falling off of and being dragged behind Prince…The lion's offer was difficult to resist.

"Come," he said gently, turning towards the path that led up the mountain, "I don't live too far from here. Get on my back, you've walked enough."

Zelda normally would have protested, saying she could walk just fine. But not this time…She was so tired…

Aslan laid down so Zelda could easily get on top of him, and once she was situated near his shoulders, he stood.

"Hold tight to my mane if you need to, we wont be long." he said gently. Zelda swore he had a fatherly quality in his voice only matched by her own father…

As Aslan padded his way gently up the trail, Zelda didn't bother to look around; she was too tired to lift her head, so instead she contemplated her new ally. As he moved, she could feel the raw muscles contract and relax with every step he took. No matter how gentle or kind he may be, she knew he could crush her if he so chose. His head was another point of thought. She remembered when he was looking right at her; his mouth, even when closed, could fit her whole head and snap it right off at the neck. His paws…Oh his paws were bigger than her head as well, and the claws within had to be razor sharp if those other animals feared him so…

Why did they fear him? Was he dangerous and had lied to her? No……She could tell whether or not a person was lying very easily just by looking into their eyes…she pictured them in her mind…They were deeply wise. She couldn't tell for sure what his intentions were…she would have to be wary…

Zelda noticed, after several minutes of deep thinking while being drenched with rain, that the ground around them became more and more covered with cherry blossoms as they went. She found the energy to look up to see a forest of cherry trees. And looking ahead, Zelda saw a _huge_ tree that reached into the heavens so high that a cloud appeared to surround the tree half way up, and it was so big around, that Zelda was not sure the monster fish Link had mentioned from the Water Temple could wrap itself around it. The path they were on led right to the tree, or rather, right to an opening in the ground that led down near the roots. The opening was sheltered from the rain by a great canopy of a thick fabric Zelda didn't recognize and a hanging piece of the same cloth. She slid off of Aslan, nearly instantly regretting it due to her sore legs, while the big beast shook the excess water off him and went inside. Zelda followed suit after wringing her hair.

Zelda was hit with an instant wall of hot air and incense as she stepped inside Aslan's den. The space was like a large circular room with large cushions and thick rugs everywhere, hiding the dirt floor. The only place where there was not something covering the dirt was around the fire that was situated in the center of the room, which happened to have a large pot and a tea kettle hanging over it on a grid made of iron. The ceiling had more tapestries draped over them, presumably to keep out loose dirt from above, as well as incense burners. The burners gave the den the smell of cinnamon…The smoke from the fire and incense was funneled out the top from the draping tapestries and must have had an exit out the top, which explained the cloud she saw…

Presently, Aslan was using his paws to stir the pot, that seemed to contain a noodle soup, and he checked the tea kettle. He bade her to grab a cushion and sit down by the fire, and again she obeyed without question. Pulling a large, soft cushion towards the fire and reclining back, she felt revived now that she had a second of rest. The heat from the fire warmed her aching body and put her at ease. Aslan pulled up a cushion large enough for him to lie on comfortably, but did not lie down on it. He instead moved to the back of the den, where several items lay in orderly piles, and returned with two bowls, two cups, and two pairs of chopsticks. He filled the bowls with the soup, while the ravenous princess saw pieces of meat that she guess were pieces of chicken coupled together with long noodles and a reviving broth, and the cups with tea. Green tea, Zelda guessed.

Aslan gave her the soup and tea along with a pair of chopsticks. Zelda had to learn how to eat with them once before, and with a little practice, was doing it as well as her host who, despite being an animal, used them perfectly. With every bite of chicken and noodles, Zelda felt her energy come back to her and the tea helped her relax.

The two ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, eating their dinners at an easy, casual pace. It wasn't until Zelda set her bowl and tea cup on the ground and eased back into the cushion that Aslan spoke again.

"Well, now that you've had a chance to get your vitality back, I can tell that you would like to inquire about me just as much as I would you. If I may suggest, perhaps we could take turns asking each other questions. As you are my guest, you may go first."

Zelda looked down at the fire, thinking about what to ask first.

"Okay……First, who are you? I know your name already, but I don't know _who _you are."

"Ah, a biography?" Aslan lapped out of his tea cup just like a cat.

"I suppose I could. I was a judge in the court of King Daltus VIII."

Zelda's eye's widened. "King Daltus VIII? That was over a thousand years ago!"

Aslan's eyebrow raised just a bit. "Has it really been that long? I will have to update my count…But yes. I was one of his most trusted advisors and helped him settle some very important matters in the kingdom and in his foreign affairs. I also knew his daughter, Princess Zelda XI, Sage of Time and your namesake."

Zelda's eyes grew wide again but she remained silent.

"I knew the Princess quite well. True, that as a child she did not quite trust me; but after I won the affections of her nurse and married her, she opened up to me and began to confide in me. I also knew the Hero of Time as well, as he became the Princess's bodyguard after her other one retired. But, tell me, have you heard of the tragedy of the Hero and Princess of Time?"

Zelda, who had to be well versed in Hylian history, attempted to raise the old lesson from the depths of her memories.

"Ah…I remember that, after a period of several years, the Hero and the Princess fell in love against the King's wishes. The Princess, to prevent a marriage to the Hero, was quickly engaged to a prince……I forget where he was from, but the Princess was firm in her objection. The King, enraged by her dislike of the prince, had the Hero of Time killed. The Princess discovered his murder and took her own life in response…right?" she added when she saw Aslan's dubious expression.

"Well, your Highness, I can assure you the _real _story has a better ending than that. Yes, the two grew to love each other and, yes, the King disliked the idea and engaged his daughter to the prince of Termina. However, their supposed deaths are false. You see, my wife one day handed me a note telling me to meet the writer in the shadow of the Temple of Time long after dusk.

"I kept the appointment, and I was met with the Hero, Princess, my wife, and my twin sons. The young couple told me they planned to leave Hyrule, that the Princess chose to give up her throne in order to live happily with her love. I married the two in the shadow of the Temple with my family as witness, and had drawn up a marriage contract to make it legal. I encouraged the two to stay close to Hyrule for a time in case I could convince the King that they were perfect together. I also encouraged my family to go with them, so they could not be punished if I were found guilty of treason.

"When I went back to the King, he was outraged that I could disobey him like that. He had me thrown in the dungeon and sent search parties out to find the runaway couple and my family. However, the cells beside me remained empty and the searches all came back with bad news. They had not been found and his Highness became more angry. He started some deranged quest to make himself live longer because he had no heir to the throne. He made himself sick with everything he tried.

"I spent a year in the dungeon before I was brought before King Daltus once more. He sentenced me to death by banishment here in this place. He sent four guards with me to make sure the job was done correctly, but they were killed by the other beasts here. I survived and was transformed into a lion. A useful side affect. I also do not age here; funny, that I should be the one who lives a thousand years while my king who sought immortality likely died early in his search."

"What ever happened to the Princess, Hero and…your family…" Zelda asked, trying to be careful about asking about his family.

Aslan, however, looked quite fond of his recalling his wife and sons. "I suspect that the Hero and the Princess found a happy life outside the kingdom. As for my family, I know they are happy wherever they are tonight, and that is reason enough for me to live her contentedly." Aslan again lapped at his tea.

"Now it is my turn. What is it that brought the Princess of Hyrule to his long forsaken world in the first place?"

"I came here looking for a friend of mine. He's under a terrible spell, and I promised him I would help him. But before we could do anything to help him, something…happened and he banished himself here. I followed him here so I could help him, but I haven't seen a sign of him…"

Aslan furrowed his brow as if in thought. "By any chance, was this friend of yours a large wolf, completely black with steely blue eyes?"

"That's him!" she cried in excitement. "Have you seen him?"

Aslan shrugged as well as a lion could. "I'm afraid all I know of him is hearsay from the village below. I haven't seen this wolf for myself, but he seems to have caused quite the stir near our chief city."

"In what way?"

"To answer that, I must ask you a question. You remember that ugly monster that attacked you when you first arrived?"

"How could I forget," Zelda muttered.

"The creature's name, before he became a demon, was Inago, the leader of all the boars and pigs in the Lost World. He got the idea in his head that we needed a king and that he should be it, despite strong opposition from every creature besides those in his own clan. He set himself up, using Touching Heaven Mountain as his stronghold. He had only held his, so called, power for a few days before a young wolf came here, wandering around Tai-Long, our capital. The young wolf had already been transformed, which is unusual here, and he crossed paths with Inago. Angered by the wolf's lack of knowledge and respect towards the 'king of the Lost World,' he challenged the wolf in a dual. Apparently, your friend won the fight, because Inago let his rage build up inside him and allowed himself to be transformed into that hideous monster you saw. I'm afraid I know no more details about him."

Zelda felt somewhat enlightened, but still felt to much in the dark.

"Your turn again, Princess."

"What is it about his place that causes the transformations? What is this place in general?"

"This place, if it at all makes sense, is not a world of its own. It is more like a world that is between all worlds…Beyond the world you and I know, there are possibly _hundreds_ of other worlds that have connections to this place. I have talked to creatures who have described things unimaginable back in Hyrule. I cant even relate most of the experiences I have heard of. But this place, despite all its wonders, has a few downsides. One being that you are almost always doomed to transform into the animal that so matches your soul.

"You however," Aslan said, pointing a polished claw at Zelda, "are not as likely to transform. I know that, since your name is Zelda, you are the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom."

Zelda was about to ask him how he knew that, but as if he read her mind, he answered first.

"The last Princess, as well as the Hero, was gracious enough to allow me a great study on the Triforce and its power first hand. I learned a good deal about it and its divine powers, and I believe that it is enough to protect you from the fate of the others.

"Another downside, connected with the first, is that, the more and more you lose your heart to such vices as fear, hate, greed, and others like that, the less of your mind you have until you are nothing more than a stupid beast no better than a farm animal from home. Beyond that point, if one continues to lose themselves, they have a great chance of transforming into a demon. The demons of this place, much like Inago, are manifestations of their vices. His hate consumed him, thus anything he touched he consumed. In order to prevent those demons from running amok, we kill those who lose their minds and become stupid. Once they cannot think, they are killed and eaten."

Zelda felt the chicken she ate threaten to come back up…

"But the worst drawback is that, even though there are not many ways through which one can enter this place, there are even fewer that lead out…"

"What?" Zelda whispered. She had forgotten about planning her exit…

"That's not to say that escape is impossible. Before I came here, apparently, there live a great owl who claimed to have had a vision of a possible way out. I think the owl's name was Kaepora Gaebora and had assisted the Hero of Time. But it is said that he spread the word of his vision, trying to free his fellow birds; but the did not listen and he escaped back to Hyrule. I hardly know what happened to him after that, or how long he lived after he went back; but I trust he did fairly well. So, have hope, Princess, there is always a way of escape. Your time will come, trust me."

Zelda nodded, but could not suppress a yawn.

"I believe," Aslan said, putting his dinner away, "that it is late enough to end our conversation for now." Zelda passed him her empty bowl, cup, and chopsticks and he took them to be cleaned and stored.

"Take any place you would like to sleep and make yourself comfortable," he called from his storage area.

Zelda, normally, would have stayed right were she was: right by the fire…but she was in a lion's den…She could not forget the image of him, mouth open and claws bared. She was lucky he was there to help her, but did not dare think her luck would hold out for that long. Idly fingering her necklace, she thought. There was a cushion near the entrance…However, it was much colder over there…

She watched as Aslan laid down near the fire. He said nothing but nodded courteously and lowered his head to drift off. Oh, how tempting it was to do the same. Zelda chose her own safety above her comfort, and with a silent sigh of defeat, dragged her heavy feat over near the opening. She was right, it was_ much _colder near the door and the noise of the rain outside wasn't quite soothing to listen to either.

She watched Aslan for a second. _Would he really betray me and eat me? I just cant figure out if I am really safe…maybe it's just the events of the day that's making me panic…But I will still try to make sure he doesn't attack……I'll try to wake myself up before I fall to hard asleep and check. If it's safe, I repeat the process. If not………I suppose I will have to sprint for my life again…_

Zelda enacted her plan, resting for a few minutes, but catching herself when she felt herself about to nod off. She repeated the process three times. When it came time to check for the forth, Zelda failed to wake herself. If she had, she would have seen Aslan standing above her…

* * *

_AN/ In every story, a little character building must come. I can promise you that Link returns in the next chapter, but I need some encouragement and critique before I can prepare it for you. Oh, and anonymous reviews are welcome too._

_If you cannot tell who I base Aslan off of, you have been living under your rock for far too long...Please imagine him with Liam Neeson's voice for full affect._

_**But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and your reviews are the sun.**  
_


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